Common name: Corn, Sweet Corn, Maize
Zea mays L. APNI*
Description: Tall, robust annuals with prop roots; culms solid, to 5 m tall.
Ligule membranous, ± ciliate; blade rolled in bud, 2.5–12 cm wide, usually with some hairs, conspicuously 2-ranked, margins often wavy.
Female inflorescence to c. 30 cm long, sessile or shortly pedunculate; spikelets in 8–16 rows, 8–13 mm long, the grain exserted from spikelet shortly after pollination. Male inflorescence with racemes to 20 cm long; spikelets 9–14 mm long.
Flowering: Summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Commonly cultivated during summer months in higher rainfall areas or under irrigation; occasional plants on roadsides.
NSW subdivisions: *NC
Other Australian states: *W.A.
There are a number of commercial strains of Corn such as dent, flint, pop, flour and sweet corns, as well as forage types.
Text by Jacobs, S.W.L., Whalley, R.D.B. & Wheeler, D.J.B. Taxon concept: Grasses of New South Wales, Fourth Edition (2008).
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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